Day 5: March 17

Laura and I decided to join the optional trip to Masada and Qumran today and were glad we did. Masada was very impressive, although I had to get over my fear of cable cars to get to the top. We were there for about 90 minutes and moved by all the history we learned. That is the subject of the picture of the day. We had super weather too, much warmer here than in Jerusalem!

Backtracking on the bus to Qumran (both locations are right along the Dead Sea), we experienced the full fury of Holy Land tourism where hundreds were gathered at the restaurant/gift shop where we were scheduled to have lunch.
Far more seemed interested in buying


bath salts than experiencing the ruins. Still, once we got out in the open and saw the caves where the scrolls were found, it was all worth it.

We ended up our trip with a stop at a Dead Sea beach for those who wanted to float. It has been so cold it never crossed my mind (nor did a bring a suit), but all had a good time and Laura and I experienced a "low point" in our lives at 1200 ft below sea level.

Tomorrow we will be up very early to go to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
so we can experience worship there before the crowds arrive. Then we come back to St George's Cathedral where I am going to celebrate at the 11 AM service.


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Day 4: March 16

Today was much more positive, although the weather was not. It was cold and showery most of the day, but with a few moments of sun.

We started with a visit to the Church of the Visitation in Ein Kerem about five miles from Jerusalem, but in a lovely wooded area which reminded us of the pacific northwest. This was the home of John the Baptist, and we eventually visited the site of his birth there. Both churches were rather quiet and simple.
There was a group of German pilgrims singing Christmas carols which made for nice background music. At the church marking the birthplace of John the Baptist, I said special prayers and lit a candle for the folks at the Church of St John Baptist in Glendale.

It was onto Bethlehem, again through the heavily guarded wall and through many abandoned buildings. We stopped at the YMCA on the outskirts of town to visit one of many shepherd's fields, possible settings for the angels visiting the shepherds. This one also included a cave, and I could imagine such a setting for the first Christmas. I hunted around in the field to for a small chunk of rock to bring back to the Church of the Nativity for their new building.

We had lunch at a nice place that catered to tourists, "The Shepherds' Tent", which was a huge tent with comfy pillowed seats--the food was good though.

That fortified us for the trip up the hill to the Church of the Nativity. Even though our guides had timed it right, it was still jammed with tourists. The basilica itself is in bad shape, dark, with rotting timbers and leaking roofs and ill tempered Greek Orthodox monks. We got in line to see the grotto site where Jesus was supposedly born, and in spite of the crowds, it was somehow worth the wait, and that is the picture of the day. There were other places in the building to explore as well, and I especially enjoyed the tomb and cavelike study of St Jerome (the cranky but brilliant translator of Vulgate Bible), which as been recently renovated.

When we left the church we got caught in a violent shower, so when we got back on the bus we were quite wet and tired and were not too up for the trip to the souvenir shop our guide wanted to take us to--run by Palestinian Christians, it is one way of our helping that damaged economy. After a long


wait to get back through the checkpoint, we are now home for dinner and early bed before heading to Masada tomorrow.


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First video

The bells of the Church of the Nativity on a stormy afternoon

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Day 3: March 14

It was a rather depressing day, and the very cold and wet weather did not help. It was rainy, foggy, and windy, about 42 degrees. We left fairly early on the bus for Hebron. The first stop was the Oaks at Mamre where Abraham met the three angels (no angels, the oaks are long gone, and the ruins of a 6th century church are filled with trash). After a fortifying coffee--arab style, strong with lots of sugar, it was back on the bus to the Cave of Machpelah, the (supposed) burial site for the patriarchs and matriarchs. This is very holy site for both Jews and Muslims, but it is located in a bombed out slum with, and looks very much like a war zone. Checkpoints and guns everywhere, wielded by soldiers who look about 15 years old. The Jews are only allowed to use 20% of the building, and their side is cramped, noisy, and disorganized. The Muslim side is a rather nice mosque. The women had to cover up with special garment and walk behind the men once we got in, and we all had to take our shoes off, but otherwise were treated nicely.

Although in tradition the cave (far underground, and you never see the cave itself) is supposed to be the gate of paradise, it struck me more as the gateway to hell, with God's people not even able to share a site which should bring out the best of them. God must have infinite patience. I think I would want to sweep the whole mess down into the cave, cover it up and start over!

My cynical attitude was somewhat improved by the next stop at Bethany at the tomb of Lazarus. It has stronger archeological credentials (although we never actually got to the traditional tomb) and it has a kind of garden setting in the midst of the squalor of the surrounding city. I again thought of the comparison with visiting some of the poorer parts of Mexico, with lots of unemployed young men and trash and ruined buildings everywhere.

Our guide gave us a moving meditation about Jesus and his presence with our loved ones who are sick, and we prayed for all the faithful departed in the hope of the resurrection.


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Location:Jerusalem

Day 2--March 14

It was a busy day. The morning was spent in some introductory lectures about the history of Jerusalem given by a Palestinian priest and archeologist.
In the afternoon we headed out in a large bus (37 in our group) to make a circuit of the city and view it from several overlooks. It was very windy and cold, so we did not stay outside the bus for long!

Tonight after dinner we were asked to "process" our experience and share what surprised us. Laura was struck by how close all the towns are--Bethany and even Bethlehem are almost suburbs to Jerusalem to our way of thinking. I was struck by how hilly the country is. It must after taken a lot of work just to walk around in the "hill country of Judah."

The most moving moment for me was a stop at the wall that separates the Jewish and Arab sections of town. It reminded me of the wall on our Mexican border. When one of our group ventured too close to the wall, the guards fired a warning shot in the air! I for part of the way, the wall is right next to the Roman road where Jesus would have entered the Holy City. That struck me as very poignant that on his way to glory Jesus "passes through" such symbols of hatred manifested by these stupid walls put up between people who really have so much in common.

Everywhere there is barbed wire, look out towers, and cameras following our every move. It also struck me that the Palestinians are Israel's "mexicans", who are treated badly, and yet do all the hard work.

Tomorrow we are going further out on the bus to Hebron. The weather calls for cold and rain, so it might not be a real pleasant trip. Otherwise we are having a good time, enjoying the company and the good food at the college.




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Location:Jerusalem

First day March 13

We arrived at St George's College about 5 PM, and after settling into our dorm style room, joined the community here for Evening Prayer. There are folks from as far away as Australia and Melanesia. We were on our own for supper so walked to a nearby hotel and had a nice dinner--lamb kabobs and seafood pasta. We slept fairly well, considering the time difference.

We made our first foray into the old city this morning. It is about a 10 minute walk from the school. It is a bit like stepping back 1000 years. We made our way through many narrow streets and finally ended up at the Western Wall. Far more people looking at it than praying. Women and men are separated if you want to pray. I placed my hand it an remembered many people here and at home, the most moving experience of the day.


After a rest, I went back to explore some of the Via Dolorosa, while Laura did some shopping in closer to home for a few forgotten items. Since I look so much like a tourist, it is hard just to walk around without getting glommed onto by every shop keeper. I tried to seek out little back streets when possible.

Tonight we have our first dinner as group and many introductions, I am sure!




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Location:Jerusalem

Wifi!

The first item of business was getting the wifi code. Now we feel In touch with the rest of the world.